Customer Reviews

Jmp Start Statistics: A Guide to Statistical and Data Analysis Using Jmp and Jmp in Software

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you use JMP and need something to fill in the statistical details omitted in the user manuals, then this is the book for you.

I have used JMP for a while, and with a basic knowledge of statistics it is a useful tool. It got to the stage where I knew that JMP was capable of doing alot more analysis than my limited knowledge of statistics would let me understand. I could get the software to carry out all manner of analyses, I just didn't always understand what the output was telling me. The book "JMP Start Statistics" starts right at the beginning and takes you all the way through to things such as multiple regression, design of experiments and statistical quality control, all the while explaining the statistics in a clear and concise manner. This book will definitely help you get more out of JMP than just the manuals, which tend to assume you already have a statistics background, would.

I am definitely part of the target audience for JMP - a scientist who uses statistics frequently in my everyday work but not a statistician who lives in the numbers. I need powerful tools that are quick and easy to use and provide reliable answers to statistical questions. But, as powerful as JMP is, it is far from intuitive. The system for data input is a leftover from the thinking of card punch days. The software manual is abysmal and the menus are a complete confusion, especially if you use (and think) Excel.

This book comes to the rescue. The first author of this book, John Sall is a co-founder of SAS Institute and the creator of JMP - he knows the program. It was his idea to provide such a program for scientists who did not need SAS's complete arsenal of statistical tools. Most laudable.

The book starts by explaining the system behind the analysis tools in JMP. It then explains the data entry system. I had already figured this out on my own before I got the book but it took an entire afternoon. The book would have reduced the process to 30 minutes - that alone is worth the price. One section is even called "The Personality of JMP." The program definitely has a personality and this book explains even that quickly and well.

From here the book launches into the various tools in JMP, from categorical models, to regression analysis to linear fitting. There are sections on experimental design and statistical quality control. While there is a worthy section called "What are Statistics" and there is considerable discussion of the limits of statistical knowledge, I would not recommend that you buy this book as a statistics text. JMP and this book assume that you are already well grounded in statistics.

The style is technical but light and accessible to advanced undergraduates. The illustrations of the menus, options and graphs within JMP are faithful to the program. The explanations are clear and illuminating. My edition came with a disk full of data examples that follow the text. If you find yourself confronted with JMP and have not got a clue how to start - order this book and have it shipped express.

I bought this book in order to learn how to use the software. As a health care provider & scientist, i have some statistical background. I found the book less than helpful. The JMP software itself is already less than intuitive. The book now sits on a shelf and would qualify as - used - almost new - hardly used - category.